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We are excited to be part of such a special project. Clickhere for link to original article about the Boise Urban Garden grand opening.

BOISE — Educating children through gardening and healthy cooking. That is one of the goals of the Boise Urban Garden School or BUGS, which celebrated the grand opening of its education center in Boise’s Comba Park.

The big, red barn looks like one you’d see on a farm in rural Idaho, but instead it’s located in the middle of Boise on West Five Mile Road at Comba Park.

“Behind me is a barn. It’s a whole lot more than that. It’s a place to learn about gardening, learn about where our food comes from, and how to eat healthier,” said Boise Mayor Dave Bieter.

The big, red barn-shaped center is now home to Boise Urban Garden School’s new education center. BUGS is a program of the city of Boise, reaching 4,000 youth in our community with hands-on inquiry-based learning.

“We teach kids science in the garden, everything from seed to harvest,” said said Erin Guerricabeitia with Boise Urban Garden School. “And once they get through that process of learning the science behind the seed, we also teach them how to cook with fresh fruits and vegetables straight from the garden.”

The non-profit BUGS offers summer camps, field trips, preschool programs, and community outreach, among other programs. Most classes will now be held inside the new education center.

Boise Mayor Dave Bieter says its opening all made possible through partnerships and donations. He believes with healthy kids, come healthy communities.

“If you’re going to be the most livable city, you want to have something in every neighborhood and something like this as much as you can make it happen,” said Mayor Bieter.

“We are absolutley thrilled,” said Guerricabeitia. “We feel like we’ve been working toward this process for the last five years to get our own permanent facility. And with the partnership with the city of Boise it’s really made all our dreams come true.”

The Boise Urban Garden School offers programs for children ages 3 to 14 years old. Field trips are available for kindergarten through sixth grades. Registration is required and programs are open for both Boise residents and non-Boise residents.